Hangovers: Alcohol Poisoning

by Glen Depke, Traditional Naturopath

For so many of us, we get so excited about celebrating Independence Day that we do not realize that the celebration itself often leaves us struggling as we enter into this new year. Some celebration, right?

The struggle that I am referring to is the hangovers that we are waking with after the holiday and recognize that the hangover you are suffering with right now is actually alcohol poisoning.

At the time frame you are reading this article it is a bit late to talk about prevention but I would at least like to provide some tips that you can use to overcome the challenges you may be dealing with in this moment.

So let’s jump right into this, you likely do not feel like reading a long and drawn out article in this moment. If you woke up this morning with a pounding headache, feeling like your “get up and go” actually “got up left” and you feel like your brain is mush, there are some things you can do to relieve the suffering. And no, it is not to drink more alcohol. The thoughts of have more of the “dog that bit you” or the best cure for a hangover is a morning Bloody Mary, is just very simply not a very smart move to make.

Here’s some tips for you for the alcohol hangover.

• While the Bloody Mary is not a good idea a Virgin Mary would likely be helpful. Remember the alcohol is what’s toxic. To take this a step further, any vegetable juice (not fruit) that you can drink when you wake after a night of over consumption is a great idea. If you are one of the lucky ones that has a juicer in your possession a combination of cucumber and celery will yield a high amount of juice and these are two ingredients you will likely have in your refrigerator.
• Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! I cannot say enough how important it is to rehydrate your body after a night of drinking. Alcohol is very dehydrating and addressing this alone will likely create a significant shift for you. Start with a 20 ounce glass of tepid water and continue to consume at least 12 ounces every hour until your urine is coming out with just a slight tinge of yellow. If it comes out clear, you are over hydrated and you can slow your consumption.
• Eat light and make nutritional choices that are easy to digest. Some lightly steamed veggies, half and avocado and cooked quinoa will provided some fat, protein, carbs and nutrients needed for recovery. (Mixed these together once cooked and you may find that this is also very enjoyable to eat also.)
• Adding to above, load up on vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, kale, cabbage and  Brussels sprouts because they contain nutrients that support liver detox.
• Get in some additional nutrients. There are some supplements that you may have on hand that would also help. Number one is antioxidants. You know, supplements such as vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, glutathione, CoQ10, resveratrol or selenium or other minerals. Taking an extra multivitamin/mineral formula would also be helpful to cut the edge of your hangover. If you have an omega 3 fatty acid such as fish oil or cod liver oil, these would both be helpful because that main challenge that you are currently having with last night’s alcohol is actually tied into the toxic affect this has on your brain. Doubling up on your dose of omega 3’s would be a great idea right not because this is brain food to your body. If you happen to have any supplements to assist your liver on hand such as milk thistle, this would also be a must due to the challenge that alcohol puts on your liver.
• I would also say to skip the coffee and focus on other liquids as mentioned above. The caffeine narrows your blood vessels and boosts blood pressure and both of these may make the hangover worse. If you want something warm, make some herbal tea if available and even better, if you have some detoxifying teas such as dandelion, burdock, ginger, decaf green tea or similar, this would definitely benefit.
• Taking a warm Epsom salt or baking soda bath for about 20 minutes would also be helpful. This will assist in pulling out some of you current toxic load and make life easier on your liver and other systems of detoxification and elimination.
• Speaking of elimination, moving your colon would be an awesome idea right now. Often with alcohols affect on your brain and your liver, this can lead to some constipating affect. If you have probiotics on hand feel free to take a higher dose of about 50,000 to 100,000 count of beneficial bacteria to assist in moving your colon.
• Get some rest. Most often alcohol will disrupt your sleeping pattern leaving you with more significant challenges than just the alcohol consumption. So if you have the luxury of “sleeping it off” do so. Your foggy brain and achy body will thank you and remember, your body’s got an amazing capacity to heal on its own, but it needs rest.
• Light movement would be a benefit also. Once you have addressed some of the areas above, simply go for an easy walk. This is not the time to go to the gym and push it hard and “sweat it out” as I have heard so often in the past. Recognizing that some light movement would be an advantage but your body is severely depleted at this point, so keep our movement easy and short in duration.

If you would like to be proactive if you are out celebrating, follow these simple tips so you do not have to deal with this hangover and alcohol poisoning.

• Drink plenty of water prior to drinking
• Only drink after eating and never before
• Drink one glass of water between every alcoholic beverage
• Stop drinking two hours before bedtime and shift to water at the end of the evening
• Load up on probiotics, antioxidants before bedtime if you’ve been drinking
  

Happy Independence Day!

Hopefully you will not be dealing with a hangover right, but if you do, I trust that these tips will help you recover quickly.